Passing the Torch
by rogue-scholar07
Summary: Rehash of a round-robin Chibi and I started about 2yrs ago. The day of the inter-school dance is approaching, but two opposing groups seem dead-set on ruining it. Meanwhile, Ryder is forced to fend off the unwanted advances of the new Alfea head of discipline. Good thing her father will be chaperoning the dance.
1. Prologue

**Summary:** **Many years after graduation—decades, in fact—the children of the Winx Club, Hex Girls, and their friends and family members come to Magix to learn more about magic, life, love, and the bonds of friendship than they ever dreamed of. Revision of the old round robin with Chibi Horsewoman. Now contains an actual plot!**

**Note:**** This prologue chapter will only cover the events pertaining to the Hex Girls, and the villains. For information on the Winx, see Chibi's prologue. As usual, if you have something to say, a review or PM is always accepted. **

**Dedication:**** To all the reviewers who have patiently (or not-so-patiently) waited for Chibi and I to get the ball rolling again. Thank you all.**

**Disclaimer: **** I do not own the Winx Club. The Hex Girls here are based on characters copyrighted by Hanna Barbera. Anyone else is mine unless otherwise stated.**

**Prologue: Don't Forget to Remember Me  
**

Over twenty years have passed since the girls and specialists graduated and began the task of starting the rest of their lives. It is at this point that they all began to realize that school didn't teach them everything they needed to know.

Despite the ever-occasional protest from a disgruntled consulate member, Topaz and Sapphire continued to rule the realm of Endor. Two years after their marriage, a daughter named Amethyst was born to them, providing an heir to the Endorian throne. Around the same time, Sapphire finally got to meet the man responsible for her existence: King Oritel of Domino. Though the relationship got off to an understandably rocky start, both Oritel and his wife Miriam came to accept the young witch as part of their family and a trusted trade ally. Three years after Amethyst arrived, Topaz and Saph welcomed a pair of twin girls, Amber and Lapis, into the family. The twins were followed by a son, Onyx, a little over a year later. During this time Topaz re-established trade relations with Domino and strengthened ties with Andros and Melody. Relations with Isis remain strained, however.

Thorn and Anakin married just after graduation and settled down to a quiet life on Linphea. Anakin balances working at a local landscaping company and worrying over his family quite nicely, while Thorn busied herself with teaching music lessons and touring with the rest of the Hex Girls. The pair have two children, Lorelei and Jason, who are 16 months apart. Thanks in part to being a part of a musical band comprised of coven-mates, Thorn, Sapphire, Dusk, and Luna remained close through the ensuing years. Aside from the occasional spat over lyrics or musical style, the four witches still get along splendidly.

After a lengthy courtship, Dusk and Russell got hitched moved onto the main planet in the Solarian system. Russell is a consultant to parliament, while Dusk runs a sign-design business on Solaria, and tours with the other Hex Girls when everyone can find time to put into a new album or reunion tour. Their son, Douglas, arrived three years after they moved back to Solaria. Thanks to an influential "Aunt" Sapphire and his father's own prominence as a politician, Doug spent a lot of time in the company of the children in the Solarian Royal Court. Since he is his parent's only child, he was a fair bit spoiled as a youngster. Somehow, though, he gained a sense of level-headed logic that few can argue with. Though she maintains a good relationship with her cousin, both Dusk and Luna still get into arguments over the phone.

Unlike her cousin, Luna left Solaria and moved with Kyle to Eraklion. While Kyle began plying his heroic training as a bouncer at one of Eraklion's hottest night clubs, Luna threw herself into her career as the Hex Girls' drummer and took up a second job within the record company that originally signed the band. She's now a publicist and talent scout for Hyjinx Records. They had a son, Raphael, only a year after getting married, and welcomed a daughter, Twila, two years after his arrival. When they're not busy at work, Kyle, Luna, and the kids can be found at outdoor festivals, movie premiers, and school functions like bake sales and car washes.

The Trix witches, however, never found their happily ever after. During the last battle they fought with the Winx, Darcy suffered a severe injury, from which she died not long after. Disheartened by the loss of their relative, Icy, Stormy, and Chloe (1) were never seen in the spotlight again. A string of poor choices, both in men and with their money, left them exiles in a far corner of the known realms, near the Diastolic Belt. (2)

Icy, known for her evil schemes and ego, was blinded by the charms of a wizard from the Poseidon Nebula named Edward. After a brief but intense two month fling, he left her out of money and dependent on her sister and cousin to help raise their daughter Veronica.

Chloe fared a bit better than her ambitious relative. Instead of being the charmed, she was the charmer. One devotion potion and a few suggestive phrases and Gerald of Cydonia met her at the other end of a wedding isle. But the marriage was short lived. Once Gerald learned he had been spelled, he left Chloe and their six month old daughter Leila for good.

Stormy, it seemed, had the worst luck of the three girls. Instead of picking a mate at a bar (like Icy) or spelling one to fall in love with her, she actually tried finding someone who would support her. She even went so far as to conceal her identity from the men she tried to engage, making them more trusting of her. Alexis of Splendora, a shopkeeper, proposed to her once he learned she was pregnant…but after learning her true identity, he broke off their engagement and called the police, forcing her to abandon both that realm and any hope she had of finding a mate.

Hardened by these new, un-welcomed experiences, the Trix coven began to plot revenge. They wanted to make the whole universe pay for what they'd been through. They hungered to avenge their fallen sister/cousin's death. And, most importantly, they wanted power. But, realizing that they had grown too old and too well-known to enact the subtlety their plan called for, they enlisted their young daughters for the task. All three girls took to the plot like a fish to water. The nature of the plot is yet unknown, but whatever it is, it's bound to be dangerous, dastardly, and deadly.

**Footnotes:**

**1. Chloe is an OC of my own creation. She's the cousin of the other three Trix witches.**

**2. Diastolic refers to blood pressure. Diastolic pressure, when reading blood pressure, is the second number and refers to when blood flow is completely restored.  
**


	2. 1 Breaking the Habit

**AN:**** Set before/concurrent to Chibi's Chapter one. **

**Disclaimer: ****Own nuthin' but my OCs.**

**Passing the Torch**

**Chapter 1: Breaking The Habit  
**

On Endor, especially inside the royal palace, excitement and anticipation seemed a tangible quality. Everyone felt it, but it held greater impact on the younger three royal children. Today was the day the acceptance letters from Magix's best schools were delivered.

Amethyst, the eldest of Sapphire and Topaz's four children, graduated from Cloud Tower a year prior. However, instead of staying at home to practice ruling the kingdom, Amethyst chose to apply once again to Cloud Tower—this time as a teacher's aide and resident advisor rather than a student. Her acceptance letter arrived nearly a week before the student letters.

Yes, all was exciting on Endor, but not all was happy.

"I can't believe this!" Amber exclaimed loudly, glaring at her older twin sister. "Tell me this is some kind of practical joke!"

"I'm afraid it isn't, Ambi." Lapis said, flicking a stray lock of indigo hair behind her shoulder. "I'm transferring to Alfea this year."

Thought not identical, Lapis and Amber were quite near inseparable as children. They did everything together and had a sibling bond that enabled them to sense if the other was in danger. Hence, no one was surprised when the twins decided to attend Cloud Tower the year before. This year, however…

"You can't possibly consider going to the pixie school!" Amber roared. "It's treason!"

"Quit being such a drama queen; it's unbecoming a lady." Lapis snorted. "And it's far from treason. Grandma and Aunt Bloom are fairies. Aunt Daphne was a fairy before she turned into a nymph. Heck, Mom took flight classes there when she sprouted wings!"

"But it goes against the Crystal family tradition!" The golden-eyed witch protested.

"Yeah, at tradition of arranged marriage, hunger for power, and poor judgment." Her sister scoffed. "There's nothing you can say that will change my mind. I never did find a place to fit in at CT; maybe Alfea will give me a chance to do that."

"You have to get there first!" Amber hissed, seizing Lapis by the arm and dragging her into Amethyst's room. "Amy, fix her!"

Amy had been busy packing her bags when her younger twin sisters burst into her room and was none too happy to be interrupted. "I don't care if the house is burning down, don't come barging into my room!"

"But it's a matter of life or death!" Amber whined. Amy rolled her eyes.

"I seriously doubt that. And why do you have your sister in a death grip?"

"She's overreacting, as usual." Lapis stated calmly. "I don't know why she's blowing this out of proportion. Mom's okay with it."

"Uh huh." The violet-haired witch said, fixing the twins with an annoyed glare. "Amber. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"You have to stop her." The shorthaired girl stated. "She can't go through with this!"

"Go through with what?" Amy demanded.

"Going to Alfea!" the fire witch exclaimed. "It's not tradition and I don't like it."

Amy sighed. It wasn't like she hadn't seen this coming. Lapis was their mother's mirror image, powers and all, and inherited bat-like wings in her witch transformation. This made her a bit of an outcast at Cloud Tower. Unfortunately, since neither Amy nor Amber ever sprouted wings, they were unable to offer her more than their sympathies and assurances of retribution when Lapis had been bullied. "This is something she needs to do, Ambi. It's her decision. Let her go to it." Of course, deep down she was tap dancing with the joy of not having to teach both of her annoying little sisters, but she wouldn't say that aloud…at least not in front of family.

Ambi frowned. "I still don't like it."

"You don't have to." Lapis said. "I need to spread my wings, literally."

* * *

On Eraklion, Kyle and Luna were ecstatic to hear that their son Raphael had been welcomed back to Red Fountain for a second year. In the rush to see that he filled out his application correctly, Luna never bothered to check where her daughter Twila had applied. And when Twila's acceptance letter arrived, it wasn't at all what her mother was expecting.

"But Mom! Alfea's a great school! One of the top magic schools in the universe!" The platinum-blond girl tried to reason. "You said you wanted me to have a good education!"

"Yes. A good **witch's** education!" Luna exclaimed. Alfea? Her darling daughter applied to the pixie school? How did she go wrong in raising this child? "Why do you want to go to the fairy school? No one in this family has ever been a fairy! What if you don't grow wings at all?"

"Mom, I know you loved CT, but Alfea's got a much more intensive and encompassing curriculum. Plus, all my friends are going there. I don't wanna be the only girl in my school to become a witch!"

"That's just it: It shouldn't matter at all!" Luna stated. "You should make you own decisions based on what you want to do, not because your friends do it."

"How is that any different than making a decision based on what your family's expectations are?" Twila folded her arms. "I've already been accepted at Alfea, and it's too late to send in an application to Cloud Tower. Looks like I'm going to Alfea whether you like it or not!"

Luna's lips contorted into a pout. This definitely wasn't what she'd had planned out for Twi…but it was her own fault in not checking the applications. She looked over at her hubby, who offered a shrug and an "I'm sorry" smile. She groaned aloud before fixing a glare on her daughter. "One semester. I give it one semester, and if you don't sprout wings by then, it's off to Cloud Tower. Understand?"

"Yes, Mom." The younger blond nodded solemnly before walking back to her room. Luna shook her head as the girl departed.

"What am I going to do if she really does sprout wings?"

* * *

Russell Lowe looked at his son, his only child, with an expression of utmost pride. This year, the boy had been accepted to his Alma Mater, Red Fountain School of Heroics. Granted, Dusk had been a little on the obsessive side about the idea of sending her only offspring of to tame dragons and play with swords… "Are you ready to head out, son?" he asked, his brown eyes glistening with joy. His redheaded son nodded.

"Yeah. Just promise you two will keep each other in line while I'm gone." His mother nodded, trying to remain professional about the idea of seeing her child off.

"We will." She said softly, then threw her arms around him. "You behave, understand? No starting fights; no breaking rules…"

"And no girls in my bedroom. Got it, Mum." He replied, hugging her back.

"Ahem." Russell cleared his throat, causing Dusk to blush and release her son. "Take care, Doug."

"You too, Dad." The soon-to-be hero replied, picking up his bags and stepping onto the inter-realm shuttle. As the shuttle doors closed and the craft took to the sky, Dusk shot her husband a worried glance.

"Did we do the right thing? Sending him off like this?" Russell nodded, wrapping the Shadow witch in a comforting hug.

"Yes, we did. He needs to learn about more than music and science, Dear."

The violet-eyed woman let out a sigh. "I guess so." She leaned her head on his chest and let him lead her back to their levi-car.

* * *

Lorelei Murray toyed with a lock of onyx hair as she contemplated how best to explain to her father her choice in schools. He'd been perfectly fine with her brother applying to Cloud Tower, as Jason was a wizard and hardly the first to be admitted as a student. But female RF students were unusual; so unusual that they had to go through a fitness test before their application could be approved or rejected. She thanked the great dragon that her mother agreed to let her go take the silly fitness test. Daddy would have locked her in the house and refused to let her go.

The front door opened and shut, signaling her father's arrival home from work. Sighing, she got up and went to meet him at the door. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey, Rory." He replied with a smile. "What's up."

"I got my acceptance letter today." She smiled brightly

"That's great!" He grinned. "Cloud Tower will be a wonderful fit for you!"

"Actually, I'm not going to CT." She said nervously. "I've been accepted to Red Fountain."

Anakin's smile quickly turned into a shocked gape. Red Fountain? The Heroes school? No, this had to be a mistake. Specialists were a handful enough around girls at other schools, as he learned when his younger sister Aradia wound up pregnant in the middle of the spring semester of her freshman year. What horrors could they inflict on a girl within their own school? "No. Absolutely not." He shook his head. "You cannot go to a boy's school!"

Rory rolled her blue eyes. "It's a co-ed school now, Dad. Cordatorta changed the rules when he took over as Headmaster."

Oh gods, that just made it worse! "No! There are boys! Dirty, lusty, crude…"

"Do I look like some kind of damsel in distress to you?" She growled. "I can handle myself in a fight, Dad. Just because I have plant-based powers doesn't make me a delicate flower!"

"But you can't!" It went against everything he ever knew about raising kids. You kept a teenage girl away from a pack of boys, not sent her running headlong toward them!

"Why not? You're letting Jason go to a school that's predominately female. Why can't I go to a predominately male school? Besides, I'll be sharing a room with the other girls who have been accepted. We get our own dorm wing and everything."

He hadn't even thought about that…but Jason wasn't a trouble maker and knew how to treat a lady with respect. Rory had always been the one getting into arguments and coming home with scrapes on her arms and legs. All the more reason not to send her! "No." He said firmly. "I won't allow it."

"Ani." Both father and daughter turned to see Thorn walking into the room. "Why are you so opposed to this? I think it's a good thing that she wants to learn to defend herself without magic. I thought you would be proud of her. Or are you still hung up on your sister's _faux pas_?"

"It's too risky for her." The blue-eyed blond protested.

"I'm an adrenaline junky, Dad. Risks are what I live for." Rory said. "And you of all people should know that I'm nothing like Aunt Ari. You're blowing this all out of proportion."

"Listen to her." The green-eyed plant witch pleaded. "You know what an honor it is to be accepted to Red Fountain. How much more an honor will it be to see one of only a handful of female students pull through all four years in order to graduate?"

Anakin let out a ragged sigh. He wasn't happy at all with this tag-teaming business….but the two women had a lot of valid points. "First sign of trouble, you'll be transferred to Cloud Tower, got it?" He stared at his daughter, who nodded excitedly.

"Thank you Daddy!" She grinned, pouncing him and wrapping him in a tight hug.

* * *

The first day of school is always filled with excitement and anxiety, especially when your only child is starting at a boarding school several realms away. Hence why Lucy Giovanni of Geos was holding so tightly to her daughter.

"I don't want to let you go!" The green-headed Light witch whispered, tears running down her face as she clung onto her little girl like her own life depended on it. Gods, she didn't think it would be this hard to say goodbye!

"Mom! There are people here!" Miranda said, realizing what a stuffed animal felt like in the hands of a five year old. "And I'm going to be late for orientation if you don't let go!"

"Lucy, she's a big girl now." Lance Giovanni, the man responsible for teaching Lucy to trust others and respect herself, placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Let her have her own adventures."

"But Cloud Tower…she could get hurt! Those seniors don't care who they crush so long as they get what they want!" She remembered her own experiences that first year. Wanting so badly to fit in; making deals with the Trix to do just that; being used as a pawn in their games. She couldn't bear to see her girl go through that hell.

"Mom, I know that." Miranda said, fixing her chocolate-brown eyes on her mother's nearly black ones. "I've been waiting my whole life to get into CT! Don't take this chance away from me because you're scared! This is something I have to do on my own."

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and gave her daughter one last bone-crushing hug. "I just don't want to lose you, baby."

"I'll come back on holidays, Mom." The brunette rolled her eyes. "And you'll get to spend more time with Dad, now that I'm out of the house."

"Honey, we have to leave. Freshman orientation is about to start." Lance said, giving Lucy's shoulder a squeeze.

"All right." She sighed, reluctantly releasing her child. "Be careful, Mira!"

"I will, Mom. Don't worry." The young witch smiled. "I'll see you soon!" She waved as she ran into class.

The Light witch watched her daughter run through the pack of incoming freshmen, tears still leaking from her eyes. As soon as Mira was out of sights, she buried her face in Lance's shoulder. "What if we never see her again, Lance? What if she doesn't come back?" she whispered.

His brown eyes, the same shade as his daughter's, focused on his beloved. "Don't you think you're being just a little melodramatic? Luce, there hasn't been an attack on CT in over a decade. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"And what if she's not?" Lucy questioned, looking up at him fearfully. "What if she gets sick? Or worse…what if she gets injured in an attack?"

"Then I'm sure the school will alert us." He soothed, using his left hand to push her long green bangs behind her ear. "She's safe here, and she seems to be happy. And if she decides she wants to leave, she'll let us know."

Lucy sighed, wiping her eyes. "I guess you're right."

He smiled warmly back at her. "Come on, let's go find something else to do while we're here." She nodded, and the pair walked away from the intimidating gates of Cloud Tower Academy of Witchcraft.

While that little exchange of devotion was taking place, three Senior witches strode onto campus. Where they went, people scattered, for these were three of the meanest witches Cloud Tower had yet to produce. Veronica Slade, Electra Novak, and Leila Dunham formed the Black Heart Coven, and shared a bond that, to an outsider, seemed unusually strong for three seemingly unrelated women.

What most of the students, and indeed the new headmistress, remained unaware of was that the three witches shared a common bloodline, the Trix bloodline. Using the last names of their absent fathers, the three cousins managed to enroll in Cloud Tower. Their goals were simple: Graduate, and gather enough power to exact vengeance on those who killed their Aunt Darcy and exiled their mothers. Since it was now senior year, the same year that the original Trix witches had been expelled, they made a pact to always be on their guard.

"We have to keep our identities secret now more than ever." Ronnie told her relatives as they entered the safety of their dorm. "If the headmistress finds out now, we get kicked out and all our hard work is for nothing."

"I'm surprised that little miss Ryder hasn't spoken up about it." Leila mused. "She could have expelled us all last year."

"Yes, but that would mean admitting to the rest of the school that she's also a Trix's daughter." Lex stated. "She's saving her own hide with that, not ours. Besides, her inability to act gives us an opportunity to look for those three artifacts that the summoning spell calls for."

"We know where the Solarian Scepter is." Leila yawned. "Why don't we just take it?"

"And risk being noticed and defeated? I think not." Ronnie huffed. "No, we wait until we have at least one of the other objects to take the Scepter. And once we have all three, it'll be game over for Magix."

**It's all in Chibi's hands now. Be kind; review.**


	3. 2 Enter In

**Disclaimer:**** If wishes were horses, beggars would ride off into the sunset.**

**Dedication: **** To Chibi, for helping in the brainstorming process, and to all the lovely reviewers we had for the last fic. **

**Passing the Torch**

**Chapter 2: Enter In**

At the front steps of the famed Cloud Tower School of Witchcraft, all the incoming freshmen and transfer students gathered in a great mass to hear the rules explained to them. All watched excitedly as a woman with electric-green hair and bright amber-colored eyes stepped out of the front doors behind Professor Grimm, the balding head of discipline. "Good morning, my dears." She smiled broadly. "Today is the first day of the rest of your education in dark magic and its proper applications. Some of you are attending a boarding school for the first time, and some of you have come here from another establishment, but nonetheless, I am thrilled to welcome you all. I am Headmistress Arianrhod, and expect you all to lend me your full cooperation this semester. Orientation is in an hour, so I suggest you go find your rooms in a quick and orderly manner."

With that, the sea of students flowed in through the large double doors and began to climb stairs and comb hallways in search of their rooms. Miranda Giovanni was no exception. After a minute or so of walking through the dorms, she finally found a suite with her name on the door. However, hers wasn't the only one.

"Hmm. I wonder who Fiona, Raven, and Amber are?" The brunette witch mused, entering into the room. Not long after, a black-haired girl appeared in the doorway.

The new girl looked around at the décor, and said, "Welcome to the Bat cave, and here's my dorm! Nice of Ry to warn me about the lack of light."

Mira blinked a moment, and then decided to speak. "Um, which one are you?" She asked, indicating the list on the door. The new witch looked at her.

"I'm Raven Iacono from Melody. Who are you?" She asked, and then added. "Don't worry, I won't bite or anything." Her bags dropped onto the bed closest to the window.

"Miranda Giovanni of Geos." She said.

"Nice to meet ya." Raven smirked. "Hey, do you play an instrument?"

"No, sadly." The brunette sighed. "I wish I'd have been able to learn."

Raven snapped her fingers in annoyance. "Dang it! I wanted to start a band this year!"

"Yes, Mom, I'm here now." A girl with long brown hair and grassy green eyes stated as she walked in, her mobile phone held up next to her ear.

"Why don't you ask her about your band?" Mira asked, jerking a thumb at the new girl.

"Yes, Mom, I'm in a nice room with the other first years. No, I wasn't offered a spot in a coven trying to take over the world." The brunette sighed. "Please, stop asking me questions like that! Austin kept reminding me on the way over here. It's like Adon is the only one who trusts me anymore!"

"I would, but it seems she's had her share of concerts for the moment." Raven stated.

Mira nodded. "Point taken."

"I'll call you after Orientation, and then I'll check in with the twins. G'bye." The green-eyed freshman hung up the phone with an agitated groan.

"Dang, someone's on a leash." The raven-haired Music witch whistled. The new girl sighed.

"Sorry, my mom's over-protective. I'm Fiona from Linphea."

"Hi! I'm Miranda from Geos! Nice to meet you!" Mira smiled brightly.

"Raven from Melody." Raven said.

"Well, it's nice to meet both of you." Fiona nodded, but her eyes lingered on Raven.

Raven studied Fiona as well. "I think I know you…Isn't your mom a fairy?"

At that point, another girl entered the room. This one possessed short orangey-blond hair and golden brown eyes. She muttered under her breath the entire time. "Can't believe she just up and left! Did she think I would be okay with it? And now I'm moved into the freshmen dorms!" The door slammed behind her before she threw her possessions onto a bed.

"Another new face! Nice to meet you!" Raven plastered on a bright smile and waved excitedly at the new girl.

"Yes, my mom is a fairy, and I believe yours was as well." Fiona answered Raven's question. "What about you, Miranda?"

The golden-haired newcomer glared at Raven. "Oh, don't even play perky with me! Bad enough I got re-assigned rooms and my crazy twin ditched me!"

Mira shook her head at Fiona. "No, my mom was a witch. Actually, I'm pretty sure all of mom's relatives are witches. No fairies to be found."

"My aunt was the first witch in ours." Fiona smirked. "Mom almost went into pre-term labor when she found out about it."

"Who exactly are you calling perky?" Raven glared at the other girl.

"That's kinda sad." Mira's face fell. "Why would she be upset about something like that?"

"You!" The short-haired girl hissed at Raven. "You're practically oozing fake perkiness! It's annoying."

"It was more a shock than anything." Fiona shrugged. "She's kinda over it now. Actually, my aunt helped me get in here."

"So is your attitude, Ms. Twin-less." Raven huffed.

"Good aunt." Mira nodded in approval.

"Yes, she is." Fiona grinned.

"You really wanna start something, girl?" The witch dressed in red asked in a low voice.

"Not really, but if you're asking…."

"Hey! Would you two just shut up!" Mira shouted. "Fiona and I are trying to have a conversation here!

Fiona nodded. "Exactly, have some consideration for others." Just then, an older witch with long deep purple hair and blue-violet eyes poked her head in the door.

"Anything the matter in here, ladies?" She asked, sending a glare at the witch who seemed so bent on starting a fight.

"Nope. Everything's organic." Raven replied.

It was now Mira's turn to glare. "Don't be rude!"

The golden-eyed girl glared back at the woman. "I don't need a babysitter, Amy!"

"Funny, because I could hear your screeching from down the hall." Amy returned. "Just keep it down in here and no fights."

"If you think she's bad, just wait 'til my warden gets here." Raven snorted.

"Warden?" Mira muttered, more to herself than anyone present.

"Is everything okay in there, Amy?" A woman with bright red/magenta hair and yellow-hazel eyes asked as she walked up. Her gaze landed on Raven. "I told Mom and Dad that you'd behave yourself here."

"Speak of the devil." The violet-eyed freshman rolled her eyes.

"Don't be silly. The devil has horns and a tail." The amber-eyed girl across from her mocked.

"Amber…" Amy warned as Raven yet again opened her mouth.

"Don't let her fool you. Ryder files her horns down and got her tail docked."

"Raven, seriously, do you want me to give Dad a bad report on your first day?" Ryder asked.

"Why are you talking back to the teachers?" Mira asked frantically, looking between the girls and their older siblings. "Do you want detention?"

"She's no teacher!" Raven snorted. "She's just my sister."

"Raven," Ryder glared, "between the hours of 8 A.M. and 4 P.M., I am, in fact, your teacher, and you shall treat me as such. Am I clear?"

"I get that." Fiona stated.

"Whatever." Raven rolled her eyes yet again.

"I'm your dorm guardian, so please try to keep the mischief to a minimum." Amy put in.

"What?" Amber shot her sister a questioning look. "You're not even a teacher! Why should I listen to you?"

"She has a point." Raven nodded.

"Amy is going to be Professor Atropa's teaching assistant for Botany this year." Ryder stated.

"She got you there." Fiona pointed out.

"Oh, hell no!" Amber exclaimed.

"Language!" her violet-haired sister admonished.

"Bloody hell?" The Music witch offered, earning yet another glare from her half-sister.

"Raven, that means you too."

"Keep it up, and you two will get detention for a week and be unable to leave campus. Got it?" The older Elfman sister stated.

"Yes ma'am." Fiona nodded as Mira chimed in with "Of course!"

"So not fair!" Amber groaned.

Raven simply shrugged. "As long as I have my music, you can lock me in the dungeon."

"Don't tempt me." Ryder glared.

Amy exited while singing in falsetto "Be careful what you wish for!" Ryder followed, lamenting over having to keep track of her younger sister.

"Well that was interesting." Fiona said as Amber's cellular began to chirp.

"Good or bad?" Mira asked as the elder witch in the room checked her recent texts.

"It's my cousin Miriam." She said. "She's saying that she and her crew from RF are going to Mad Cow later and wants to know if my suitemates and I are in."

"Mad Cow?" Mira raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"A locally famous burger joint." Fiona said. "My older brothers rave about it every time they're home."

"Sounds like fun. I'm in…even if I have to put up with her." Raven glared at Amber, who ignored her in favor of Miranda.

"I…I guess it can't be that bad." Miranda shrugged. "Okay, I'm going too."

"Ok." Amber started texting again. "I'll let Miri know how many of us to expect."

* * *

As it happened, Amy and Ryder were on their way to the staff meeting.

"All right, everyone, settle down." Headmistress Arianrhod, the lime-haired woman voted into the office of Cloud Tower headmaster after Griffin retired, banged a small wooden gavel onto her desk. Before her were all the teachers and teaching assistants for the following year. Some were new faces; some had been teaching long enough to see their former students start teaching. Regardless, all were gathered for the start-of-term faculty meeting. "I hereby call this meeting to order!" She stated. "Now, I see that no one backed out without a valid excuse, so we can get right down to business.

Amethyst leaned forward and whispered in Ryder's ear. "So having screaming cats for sisters wasn't a valid excuse?"

Ryder glanced back and offered a shrug of her own. "I guess not."

Amy sighed. "What a shame."

"First, we shall start with introductions, and then move on to business." Arianrhod stated, earning a few groans.

Ryder was one of the group. She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "This will take a while."

"I should have brought a snack for this." Amy muttered.

"I think I've got a package of crackers in my purse, if you're interested." Ryder offered.

A cream-haired woman in her late twenties glared back at the pair. "Is there something you two would like to share with the rest of us?" She asked, her aqua eyes looking over the group.

Ryder covered quickly by offering an innocent smile. "I was merely explaining to Miss Elfman the usual meeting procedures. Is there something wrong with that?"

"Nothing at all, dear." A graying, brown-haired man smiled back. Mr. Farley was one of the oldest and most beloved teachers working at Cloud tower. "Arianrhod, let's get started."

"Yes, I shall go first." The woman nodded. "As all of you should know, I am Arianrhod Brindley, the headmistress of this fine school. I'm originally from Isis, and have been at this fine school for over a decade; first as a teacher, but eventually as headmistress." She scanned the room for the next volunteer.

She didn't have to look far, as Farley stood up. "I'm Alexander Farley, the Levitation instructor." The elder man smiled genially. "I've been here so long that some of my students' children are now faculty members."

The woman who'd earlier called out Ryder and Amy took her cue to stand, blushing at Farley's comment. "My name is Cordelia Moonstone, and I've been in or around Cloud Tower since I was a child. My mother was once the Magical History teacher, a position now afforded to Mr. Brickman from Hestia." She smiled at the man in question, who nodded at her introduction. "I've been teaching Charms and Hexes for seven years."

Ryder stood up as soon as Moonstone sat down. "I'm Ryder Iacono from Melody, and I've just moved up from assisting Miss Moonstone in Charms to running the Incantations class. A few of you may remember me as a student."

Mr. Farley beamed. "One of the best fliers in your freshman class." He remembered fondly. She blushed.

"Thank you for saying so."

"Circe Sohma from Metastiasis." A woman with long dark hair and strong Asian features stated. "I teach Transformations."

A severe looking man with dark hair stood next. "Charles Grimm from Cosmosia. I've been the head of discipline here for three years."

"And I am Professor Craig Cadwallader from Polaris, the potions and advanced magical spells teacher." A man with blondish-brown hair spoke up.

"Corrigan Prissinger of Zenith." A girl with wavy ash brown hair and aqua green eyes stated. "I'll be Cadwallader's new assistant."

"Belladonna Atropa of Delora, the Herbology instructor." A woman in her thirties stated. "I'm looking forward to having an assistant this year."

"And that would be me." Amy stated. "Amethyst Elfman, the new teacher's assistant for Herbology."

"Excuse me," Moonstone spoke up, "Belladonna is it really wise to ask Miss Elfman to help? Her powers aren't at all plant based."

"No, they aren't, but I was one of the highest-scoring Herbology students in this school." Amy replied coolly.

"Miss Moonstone, I have made my decision and stand by it." The headmistress stated. "Now, is there any new business?"

"The Inter-school dance, I believe." Mr. Farley stated. The lime-haired witch nodded.

"Yes. This will be the third time our school has been invited. I suppose we'll have to make the prerequisite warnings again."

"And let's not forget about the gifts." Professor Atropa added. "We need to decide what our school will give in return."

"And since we don't want another outbreak of magically-induced food poisoning, I suggest we keep our resident pranksters in check." Farley added, earning a few shudders from the other faculty members.

"Thankfully most of those troublemakers graduated this spring." Amy sighed with relief. "I'd hate to deal with that mess again."

"Amen!" Ryder exclaimed. "That was a nightmare to clean up and smooth over."

"Unfortunately those seniors were replaced by overzealous freshmen, so we shall still need to be on our guards." Grimm stated.

"I believe this is a matter that should be discussed during Orientation." Cadwallader looked to the headmistress.

"What about punishments?" Moonstone blinked. "Shouldn't we discuss those while we're on the topic?"

"We will divide out punishments depending on the severity of the prank." Arianrhod stated. "Turning flowers into frogs hardly warrants anything above a weeks' worth of detention."

"Which reminds me, I need to hold off on teaching about hallucinogenic properties of plants until after the festivities." Atropa mused.

"Smart thinking." Nodded Grimm. "I'll stand guard by our gifts to ward off saboteurs."

"A wonderful idea." The headmistress stated. "Any others?"

"I'll get in touch with the instructors at Alfea and try to enlist their aid in keeping spells out of the food and punch." Farley offered. "That issue should be nipped in the bud."

"Should be easy enough." Ryder shrugged. "Headmistress Calinda is relatively laid back, but she can be quite tough when she needs to be. What I'm not sure about is their new head of discipline, and I do mean new."

"Yes, a Mr. Bloodstone." Grimm nodded. "He just started there this year, so not much is currently known about him. Not even his home realm."

"Very perplexing, yes, but I'm sure that Calinda must have had her reasons for hiring him." The lime-haired principal stated. "Although I dare say she's had a hard time digging through his background, if it's so secretive."

"Indeed." Farley exhaled. "Well, I suppose we must get in touch with him about this."

"Is it really necessary?" Cordelia asked. "Obviously she felt he could do his job. Why do we need to go snooping around about it?"

"I was referring to enlisting his aid in keeping the festivities as civil as possible." The elder teacher clarified. "The last thing this school needs is to be charged with snooping around the privileged information of another facility."

"And that's all the time we have for today." Arianrhod cut in. "Orientation starts in a few minutes. Is there any other new business?" No one said a word. "Then I hereby adjourn this meeting. Take your seats in the auditorium, everyone."

* * *

Miranda, Raven, Fiona, and Amber all crowded into the auditorium for the official Orientation address given by the headmistress. A hush fell over the murmuring students as the golden-eyed headmistress stepped up to the podium.

"This oughta be good." Amber stated.

"As you all know, today is the first day of the fall semester. Since many of your faces are new to me, I feel the need to lay down a few ground rules and make a few announcements."

"Here we go." Amber rolled her eyes, earning an inquisitive look from Mira.

"First, you are expressly banned from entering the Forbidden Forrest. Anyone caught sneaking around the woods will be suspended, and possibly expelled." As the headmistress spoke, Amber mouthed her exact words. "Second, you will be expected to treat any students visiting from other schools with the civility and decorum becoming an accomplished Cloud Tower Witch."

"Dude, you've got it nailed down." Raven whispered to the older witch, who shrugged.

"Sat through it all last year."

"Lastly, I will not tolerate fighting in or outside class unless it is an event organized by an instructor for a specific purpose. If you feel the need to match blows, take it off campus." Arianrhod stated, taking a deep breath. "Now, I feel it necessary to discuss the inter-school dance with you. As we have been invited this year, the prank contest is officially cancelled." Groans escaped the mouths of many students.

"There go our plans for this year." Leila pouted to her cousins. They were seated up on one of the highest rows, a traditional seating spot for seniors.

"Anyone caught trying to pull a prank at the dance will be met with punishment fitting the crime." Arianrhod continued. "Anyone caught in the act of tampering with the food or drinks will also meet swift punishment."

"This sucks." Lex frowned. "They're taking away all our fun!"

"We can find ways around it, dear cousin." Ronnie waved. "And rest assured we will do just that."

"Having said that, I expect all of you to be on your best behavior for this event." The headmistress looked at the crowd. "It's time for our schools to reduce this rivalry to pranks and academics, not personal injury."

"Well, that's unusual." Raven said as Amber snorted.

"Yeah, well don't let the warning fool you. Someone is going to start trouble. Happens every time."

Fiona shot the Fire witch a questioning gaze. "They'd risk expulsion over a prank?"

"It's not just about pranks." Amber stated. "Stick around long enough, and you'll figure that out."


	4. 3 Collide

**Disclaimer: ****For once, I think I own about half the characters in this chapter. The other half are Chibi's, and the universe, of course, belongs to the Winx Club**

**Dedication:**** To the readers of the last fic, and to Chibi, my co-author, for proofreading for me. Thanks, guys!**

**Passing the Torch**

**3. Collide**

"No way!" Miriam let out a laugh as she, Lori, Lucia, Ryan, Will, and Onyx exited the shuttle. They had agreed to head out to Mad Cow and reserve tables for their friends who had yet to arrive. The blue-eyed flame specialist looked over at Ryan, mirth shining in her eyes. "You mean he seriously changed into a duck!"

"Believe it." The boy smirked. "We have the photographic evidence to prove it."

"Speaking of photos, did you send that picture of Sean the Garden Art Sculpture to my sisters?" Onyx asked, looking to his cousin. She nodded.

"Of course! Lapis thought it was a stroke of genius, turning him into a lawn ornament." She looked over at the group. "She said there would probably be six in her group. Add in Amber and her three suitemates, that means….three tables, at least."

"Which means we reserve four or five, just to be on the safe side." Will put in.

"Correct." Lori nodded as the group entered the hamburger parlor. It wasn't long before another group joined them.

"Miri!" Lapis' blue eyes lit up as she ran to hug her cousin. Miriam didn't even have time to process the blue-haired girl's reaction until she was trapped in the older girls' arms. "It's so great to see you!"

"You too." Miriam winced. "Now will you let go before I crack a rib or something?" The older girl gasped, letting go of the redhead and offering an apologetic smile.

"Sorry. Just happy to see a relative who doesn't think I'm a traitor to our family."

"Don't sweat it." Miri waved. "Why don't you all help us pick out tables?"

"How many will be required?" Tatiana asked, surveying the group and doing a headcount in her head.

"At least three." Lori said. "I suggest you find your favorite spot now, before the others get here."

"Others?" Lapis shot the dark-headed girl a confused look before setting her eyes on her cousin. "You didn't."

"Didn't what?" Twila blinked, totally confused by the conversation.

"You did, didn't you?" Talone groaned as his sister shrugged.

"What can I say; I want you two to work it out."

"Excuse my rudeness, but who are these people and how do they know you?" Leilani shot Lapis a look of distaste and confusion.

"Oh. This is my cousin Miriam from Domino. The black haired guy is my brother, Onyx, and that over there is Lori from Linphea…we've known each other since we were small children."

"Isn't that the truth!" The dark haired specialist exclaimed. "The two lovely gentlemen here are my cousins Will and Ryan O'Neill from Eterna. And last but not least, we have mine and Miriam's roommate, Lucia DiAngelo."

"You know a lot of people." Twila scrunched her eyebrows together. Miriam shrugged.

"Comes with being a royal, I guess." She looked at Ailani and smirked. "So, how's your first day?"

"Amazing!" Ailani exclaimed. "Lapis is going to teach us all how to send text-hexes!"

"When did I say that?" the Dark Fire fairy asked in confusion.

"Great Dragon, we'll be getting hexed for the first month, I know it!" Onyx groaned, causing Ryan to burst out laughing.

"Watch it, Ry, or you'll be next on the list." His relative warned.

"I'd listen, since she did get that Sean kid entangled in the front lawn yesterday." Lucia spoke up for the first time.

Ailani gasped. "That was _you_? Thank you so much!"

"Why do you care?" Lori crossed her arms.

"He's my older brother." The Solar fairy made a face. "Been acting like a total brat lately, so he needs all the spelling he can get!"

"Who got spelled where?" A new male voice asked. The group looked up from their tables to see four girls and a boy about their age walking up. The boy had shaggy dark blond hair and bright green eyes.

"Prince Sean of Solaria." Lori waved. "Nice of you to show up, Jase."

"That's Jason?" Lapis stared with wide eyes. "Damn, he got tall!"

"I couldn't stay short forever!" Jason smirked. "That's your job."

"I think I'm done here." Amber stated, attempting to turn around and walk off. One of her friends, a short girl with long black hair, caught her arm and held her steady.

"Why leave the party so soon?" She asked.

"Because I don't much feel like staying in the same room with a quitter." The blond spat.

"She's not a quitter, Amber, we've been through this." Miriam looked at her relative. "Laps just needed a change. You know how horrible she felt at CT."

"That doesn't give her the right to walk away." The air around the angry young witch started to heat up.

"Look, why don't you guys come in and sit down so we can talk this out." Talone said calmly. "You don't even have to sit at the same tables."

"Good!" Amber snarled, stalking over to a table and sitting with her back toward her twin.

"Well, I see why your sister went to Alfea now." The raven-haired witch smiled innocently. "It was to avoid you!"

That did little to improve Amber's mood. "Take it back." She hissed.

"No." The other girl said, earning groans from her suitemates.

"Here we go again." One with brown hair and eyes the same color sighed.

"Raven vs. Amber, round two." The other brunette, this one with green eyes, frowned. "Lovely."

"Gods, did you have to bring all of your trash with you?" Sean asked rather loudly as he entered with a group of specialists about his age. One was an average-sized kid with curly auburn hair and violet eyes sporting a Star Trek t-shirt. The one next to him was a bit taller and bore dirty blond hair and eyes the same green as a cat's might be. The remaining pair bore a resemblance in facial structure, but looked otherwise different. One had brown hair and gray eyes, the other with black hair and green eyes.

"You do realize that they don't allow dogs in this establishment, right?" Ailani asked her older sibling flippantly, earning a dark glare.

"Be nice." The green-eyed Nature witch chided.

"Fee, I don't think Nice is in his vocabulary." The dark-haired boy who'd just entered spoke.

"Yeah, his manners already got him tangled in the lawn." The gray-eyed boy next to him smirked.

"Girls, meet my overprotective brothers, Adon and Austin." Fee said with a brilliantly sweet smile. Raven cracked up as soon as the other girl got the words out of her mouth.

"So _you're_ the guys who feel the need to text her every five minutes!"

"Fiona!" Adon groaned. "I thought you were supposed to stay out of the bad crowd."

"No, for Cloud Tower, that's as good as you're going to get." Lapis spoke up as a smirk landed on Twila's face.

"Let me guess, Raph…you lost a bet and got stuck babysitting Mr. Attitude for the day?" She asked her older brother, who let out an exasperated sigh.

"He's in the room across the hall from me! And Doug's the one that asked me to come, thank you very much."

"Leave me out of this!" Doug put his hands up and backed into the open seat next to Fiona. The other specialists followed his lead and scattered out into any available seats. Sean, notably, could not remain still and bore a look of discomfort.

"What's the matter Sean? Got an itch you can't scratch?" Lapis teased.

"None of your business!" The blond prince glared.

"That means yes." His sister added. "Sounds like someone's been text-hexed."

"Must have been a gift from someone who really knows you." Talone added as Sean turned a lovely shade of pink.

"All right, who sent out that hex?" He glared from his sister, to Miriam, to Lapis and Amber. They were, after all, the most likely candidates.

"Nobody disses family but family, jerk." Lapis shot the prince a cold gaze. "Remember that.

"Why you witch!"

"Actually, she's a fairy now." Raven piped up. "Didn't you get the memo?"

"Butt out!" He said angrily.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch. All I did was correct your facts." The Music witch stated.

Sean blushed. "What the hell concern is it of yours how accurate my facts are?"

"Well, if you're going to go about insulting someone, you should do it right." She smirked. "Like…You're being a royal pain."

"And he's royally itchy, too." Miriam smirked.

"I'll make you wish you'd never said that!" The Solarian prince hissed.

"Enough!" Lucia shouted, standing up out of her seat and slamming her hands down on the table. Her eyes glowed as her powers kicked in. Trays, utensils, and other light, unanchored items floated up in the air and swirled around Sean and Raven. A napkin holder whacked Sean hard on the back of the head, while a pair of salt and peppershakers kept landing on top of Raven's scalp.

"Whoa!" Twi gasped, backing away from the redheaded girl.

"Both of you stop this now before I turn you into little yellow rubber duckies!" The girl from Gardenia growled.

"Fine, but stop hitting me!" Raven exclaimed.

"How dare you…Ow!" Sean yelped.

"Dear brother, I think you should just apologize and drop the issue before you wind up in the Emergency Room." Ailani said as she checked her manicured nails. He sighed in resignation.

"Crazy women…" he muttered.

"Why don't we just order our food and eat in silence?" The brunette, brown-eyed witch asked, trying to end the fighting.

"Great idea, Miranda." Fiona nodded. "I'm sure we can all keep talking to a minimum, right?" She shot a meaningful glare at Raven and Amber. The blond princess sighed.

"Yes, we can." She answered, but didn't turn to look at either her twin sister or her younger brother.

"Whatever." Raven shrugged. "So long as I get food, I'm good."

"Exactly." Tatiana nodded in agreement, having heard the other girl's comment about food.

"I like that one." Raven smirked, contemplating trading the magenta-haired fairy in for her current blond suitemate.

"No." Fiona shook her head. "The answer is no. And don't you ask what for!"

"Fine, Mother." The shorter witch sighed. "I'll be good…for now."


	5. 4 It's On

**Disclaimer: **** Since the story is pretty much overrun with OCs, I think I can claim partial ownage here. Setting and universe belongs to the original Winx Club series, tho.**

**Author's note:**** To avoid possible confusion, I will place this chapter (chronologically) after my chapter three and at the same time as Chibi's chapter five. **

**Passing the torch.**

**4. It's On**

The shuttle ride back to Alfea was, to say the least, slightly awkward. As if Lapis' sulking over her sister's attitude hadn't been enough of a buzz-kill, Twila in her infinite imagination decided to translate the event into some sort of demented children's story…with Talone helping her out.

"And the napkin holder says 'I've had enough!' and k.o.'s one of the attackers." Talone said.

"Just as one of the knives screams 'I can't take it anymore!' and starts flying around aimlessly. But, like, when he tried to escape, he ran into one of his knife thug buddies and both of them were knocked out." Twila continued excitedly.

"It's official, my cousin is a dork." Lapis sighed as the pair of blonds continued their story. Ailani, who was sitting next to her, offered a shrug.

"At least he's a cute, funny dork."

"Yeah…not helping." The blue-haired teen glared as the bus came to a stop. The group of six stood up and exited, with Twi and Talone still chattering like crazy.

"Are they always like this?" Leilani asked. Lapis sighed.

"Him, no. Her…since we were little children." She frowned.

The two blonds, however, remained oblivious to their friends' critiquing and continued their lively conversation as they strode into the entry lobby. Without warning, Twi bumped shoulders with another person, someone taller than she was.

"Watch where you're going!" A girl with long midnight blue hair spat. She wore a pinkish-red bikini top, a very short red and pink plaid skirt, and a pair of high-heeled stiletto shoes.

"Oh-my-gosh, I'm so sorry!" Twi blurted out.

"Yeah, you will be!" the taller girl hissed, glaring at the young blond.

"Hey, back off." Talone said, trying to step in between Twila and the mysterious angry fairy. "It was an accident. Accidents happen."

"Such as letting you into this school!" The girl sighed as two new females walked up. One of them had long burgundy hair and brown eyes, while the other had silvery white hair and dark blue eyes.

"Fishies giving you trouble, Natalia?" The one with silver hair asked. Her outfit was just as skimpy as her companions. A deep blue tube top barely wrapped around her bust and was covered by a white tight-fitting mesh long-sleeve top, while her ruffled blue and white striped skirt barely covered her butt. A pair of white wedge flip-flops adorned her feet.

"Not on purpose!" Twi said quickly, not wanting a confrontation with three upperclassmen. "I didn't mean to bump shoulders with you, and I'm really sorry, now can my friend and I please go back to our dorms?

"Not a chance!" the brunette girl growled as the rest of Twila's suitemates arrived on the scene. This girl's short strappy green dress covered her stomach, but left a lot of thigh and cleavage exposed, and her bronze gladiator sandals wrapped around her feet.

"What's going on here?" Lapis asked, hands on her hips. "Don't tell me you ladies are trying to start trouble with my cousin and his friend."

"Butt out, witch!" Natalia growled. "This doesn't concern you."

"Now, see, that's where you're wrong." Lapis said. "And I'm not a witch, dammit!"

"Yeah, she's got wings like the rest of us." Ailani, who heard it from Miriam, stated. "And puh-lease! Could your fashion sense be any more slutty?"

"I don't believe it could be." Leilani responded coolly, examining her fingernails.

"How dare you speak that way about us!" The silver-haired girl shrieked. "We're seniors!"

"Yeah, senior skanks with no social life." Lapis waved.

"Because if you had one, you obviously wouldn't be wasting your time and energy on a pair of scared freshmen." The Solarian princess put in.

"We don't have to take this from you!" Natalia's silver-haired friend shouted. "Hand of Fate!" She held out her clenched fist in a mock punch, releasing a fist-shaped silver energy attack. (1)

"Sun Shield!" Ailani cried out, a wall of pale yellow energy emitting from her outstretched hands. While it kept the full force of the attack from reaching them, quite a bit of the built up momentum made it through the magical barrier, and scooted the Solar fairy back about a foot.

"Destiny, have you lost it?" Natalia shrieked. "If we start a fight here, Bloodstone will suspend us for sure!"

"And why does that matter?" Destiny scoffed, turning to her burgundy-haired companion. "Malise, shall we show these outcasts how real fairies fight?"

"Indeed." Malise nodded. "Let's do this!"

"I think we may have just earned ourselves detention for life." Twila gulped.

"Not if we have anything to say about it." Lapis growled as the two seniors transformed.

Malise's mini-dress disappeared, and a dark pink halter top with matching gloves, a forest green mid-thigh cargo skirt, and a pair of knee-high green boots replaced it. Green and pink dragonfly wings sprouted from her back as she began to hover over the floor.

Destiny too changed outfits. Her earlier ensemble traded itself in for a midnight blue knee-length halter dress, silver gloves, and silver stiletto sandals.

"Well, if they can get a fresh wardrobe, why shouldn't we?" Ailani offered Lapis a wink. The blue-haired girl grinned in acknowledgment.

"Totally. Magic Winx Lapis!"

"Magic Winx Ailani!"

Both girls were surrounded by bright lights as they transformed into their fairy forms. Ailani's golden aura faded away, revealing a sleeveless red, gold, and orange iridescent one-shoulder top, a pair of matching short-shorts, and red knee-high boots. Three pairs of feather-like wings sprouted from her back, and the Scepter of Solaria was in her hands.

The grayish aura around Lapis left with a bright bang, revealing her transformation. Her hair was tied up in a bun, with a few wavy strands escaping to frame her face. A black halter dress with turquoise accents along the collar and the hem clung to her body, while black ballet flats enveloped her feet. Unlike the other fairies, though, her wings were far from "cute" or "elegant". Rather than being see-through and sparkly, hers were bat-like and rich, pure black in color.

All three seniors paused in shock when they saw Lapis's fairy form.

"See? See? This proves that she's a witch!" Destiny shouted.

"No, it just proves she uses dark magic, stupid." Malise rolled her eyes. "Not that it matters. We can take out a measly freshman." She snapped her fingers as a pinkish-brown energy ball appeared. "Rolling Stone!" She threw the orb softball-style at Lapis, who dodged it with a backflip.

"Now I know what they mean by a crap shoot." The former Cloud Tower student stated.

"Time to show them what an attack should look like." Ailani smirked, raising her scepter into the air. "Sun Strike!" A shockwave of yellow burst from the head of the staff and hurtled for the pair of seniors, making contact with Malise and sending her back several feet into a wall.

"We shouldn't be doing this!" Natalia hissed. "We'll get in serious trouble if we get caught!"

"Coward!" Destiny spat. "She uses dark magic! She shouldn't have even been allowed in our prestigious school!"

"If I'm good enough to pass the entrance exam, I have every right to be here!" Lapis glared, causing the silver-haired fairy to clench her fists and shake with anger.

"Des, don't do anything stupid!" Natalia pleaded.

"I think you're a little late for that warning." Leilani quipped.

"Spirit of the Fates, hear my plea." Destiny raised her eyes skyward as blue energy wisps swirled around her. "Answer strong and true!"

"Damn." Talone swore under his breath. "Come on, Laps, think of something!"

Lapis shot Ailani a pleading look. Even with a year of training under her belt, she knew she wasn't strong enough to take on a third year by herself. Fortunately, the brunette freshman nodded her approval. "In darkest flames of blackest night."

"When Moon and Stars shall lend their light." Ailani chanted in turn.

"Grant me your power to wreck their lives," Destiny continued as the churning energy around her spun even faster, "As only you can embue. Wyrd Gate!" (2)

"We combine the power of our hearts to end this attack before it starts!" The pair finished, as a shield of violet energy surrounded them. "Moon Shadow's Flame!"

Both parties finished their spells at the same time, and the two energies met with a resounding crack. Just as Destiny's gate was about to open, the younger fairies' counter-spell surrounded it in a vacuum ball, rendering it completely useless.

Unfortunately, all three girls used up their energy reserves in bringing forth their attacks. In moments, all three were once again on the ground and in their normal states. Just in the nick of time, too.

"What's going on in here?" A tall man with dark hair and blue eyes asked as he walked in. Talone balked.

"Just a minor disagreement, Professor Bloodstone. Nothing to worry about." He smiled as Natalia shook her head.

"Nope. Nothing at all going on in here." She said.

"Good." The head of discipline stated. "Because If I catch you three girls using your powers on students outside of class, you'll have a lot of time to think it over." He glanced from Natalia, to Destiny (who was still on her ass), and finally to Malise (who just pulled herself back onto her feet and de-powered). All three offered their most innocent looking smiles.

"You can count on us, Professor." Malise said sweetly.

"Good." Bloodstone stated. "Now, all of you, go your separate ways."

"Yes, Professor." Talone nodded, placing a hand on Twila's shoulder and leading her in the direction of the dorms. Their four friends followed suit, while the three Seniors walked outside the school.

"That was entirely too close!" Natalia hissed as soon as they were out of earshot. "If they hadn't countered that attack, we'd be packing our bags for home right now!"

"They don't deserve to be here!" Destiny growled.

"I'm not arguing that, dear cousin, but I don't think we should be attacking them in broad daylight on school property!" The silver-eyed girl pointed out.

"I admit that that was a rather rash decision," Malise stated, "however, it wasn't a total washout."

"How do you mean?" Destiny raised an eyebrow. "We got our butts handed to us by a couple of freshmen!"

"One of which has the Scepter of Solaria." Malise pointed out.

"And that's important to us how?" Natalia folded her arms and stopped walking. "She _is_ the princess, after all."

"All in due time, my friends, all in due time." Malise replied with a sinister smirk.

Meanwhile, the sextet of incoming students continued their trek to the dorms.

"Man, who were those girls?" Twila asked with wide eyes.

"Besides being named Natalia, Destiny, and Malise, I have no clue." Ailani waved.

"They certainly act like witches with wings." Lapis grumbled. "And I should know!"

"Witches with Wings, eh?" Talone mulled over the name. "Catchy. Fits them to a 'T'."

"Aha!" Tatiana, who had been engrossed in her realmberry, exclaimed, waving the phone around excitedly.

"What is it? Did you find the secret of cold fusion?" Lapis yawned, feeling the after effects of her convergent spell.

"Don't be silly, the people of Zenith have had that down for decades." Aila waved. "What'cha got, Tiana?"

The magenta-haired fairy blinked a moment, having never been called that nickname by anyone outside her family. But it only lasted a moment, and she soon collected her thoughts. "No, those three girls. All three are princesses from their home realms. Destiny Kensington from Fortuna, Malise Connely from Geos, and Natalia from Faustinus." (3)

"Good work." Leilani said. "Now we know who they are, and knowing is half the battle."

"The other half being the actual fighting." Lapis quipped.

**1. Yes, that was a Digimon reference. Stole the name from an attack Angemon used as his signature, but when Destiny uses it, it's more of a bad-luck hex. It still does some physical damage, though.**

**2. Wyrd, or Fate, was a deity worshipped by the Viking peoples. Mentioned in much of their ballads and poetry. **

**3. Faustinus means Lucky or Fortunate. **


	6. 5 Welcome to the Jungle

**A/N:**** Takes place the day after the incident at Mad Cow and concurrent to Chibi's chapter 6. Ryder's first day as a teacher goes from embarrassing to annoying as the day drags on, while Raven learns it's not a good idea to pick on your older sister when she's the one assigning your homework.**

**Disclaimer:**

**Passing the Torch**

**5. Welcome to the Jungle**

Ryder Iacono dragged herself out of bed that fine Tuesday morning with a groan. She really didn't want to go to class today, since the first day was always the worst, but as a teacher she had no choice. When she was just an assistant, she didn't have to worry as much about lesson plans, or getting up early, or many other duties that the faculty of Cloud Tower Academy of Witchcraft had to deal with. This year she was the sole teacher of the class, she was expected to keep some sense of decorum and professionalism. However, her sleep deprived brain refused to even think about class in general before a good cup of coffee. This lead her to shuffle straight to the dining hall for breakfast….in her pajamas.

"Um, Miss Iacono?" Professor Sohma said timidly as the red-headed witch made her way to the nearest coffee pot. The hazel-eyed woman regarded her with a groggy annoyed expression.

"What?" She half-spat, half-groaned.

"Well, you are in your sleepwear…"

"I know." Ryder grumbled. "Now shut up until after I've had my coffee." By now, more professors had entered into the staff area.

"My, is little Miss Iacono in a bad mood?" Moonstone raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. The younger witch growled in return.

"Just keep your flapping maw shut until I'm awake."

"Nice pajamas." Cadwallader snickered, and he wasn't alone. Moonstone openly laughed and Sohma was in a fit of giggles. Whatever they imagined the young teacher to sleep in, a pair of pink flannel pants with stars and moons all over them and a matching pink top wasn't it.

Ryder growled like an angry animal, seriously contemplating splattering at least two of the three laughing hyenas with the scalding hot liquid now poured in her mug. Fortunately (be it for her or the other faculty, we shall never know), Headmistress Arianrhod chose that moment to enter.

"What seems to be so amusing here?" She asked, helping herself to a cherry Danish.

"Miss Iacono's disregard for the dress code." Cadwallader said.

The lime-haired woman looked Ryder over quickly before shrugging. "I do not find it funny. I do find it immature of you to laugh at her, though. Not all of us can be morning persons."

"Clear the way to the coffee pot!" Professor Alexander Farley bellowed as he entered. Some of the older, more tested teachers simply ignored the aging man as he blew in like a hurricane, but a few of the new ones froze at the sight of the old wizard entering in a white tank top, blue boxers, and house shoes. The usually genial man physically shoved Cadwallader out of his way in his quest to reach the percolator. Sensing an impending fight, Ryder wisely stepped aside.

"Oh, I see the breakfast club is all but gathered." Belladonna stated as she walked in with Mr. Grimm. "Where are our darling assistants?"

"Probably eating with the students." Grimm reminded her. "They are not required to keep quite the same hours as we do."

"Lucky." Ryder grumbled, earning a smile from Belladonna and a "Ha!" from Mr. Farley.

* * *

After a seemingly uneventful discussion about class schedules, Ryder was off to her first class of the year. Actually, it was her first solo class ever, which made her a little nervous. She tried to keep the dark energy around her at a minimum, however. Too much dark energy in a room where incantations were being spoken was never a good idea, as it typically caused said incantations to backfire.

Her first class of the day was the Sophomores. Not a bad group, except for Amber asking if there was an incantation to burn someone's hair off. Since Ryder had a sneaky suspicion that said person might be her sister, she respectfully declined to answer.

Next were the Juniors. Rambunctious, yes, but not especially dangerous. All they learned today was how to turn ice into fire…well, for some of them. One poor girl never got past a block of ice, and most of the group only managed to melt said ice.

Next, were the Seniors. This was a problem, since all three of her _darling_ cousins attended that lecture. Ok, so no one else in the school (that she knew of) knew they were related. She knew. Whether it be an inborn ability for all descendents of the Ancestresses to recognize each other or simply the process of deductive reasoning, she'd figured it out, and so had they. A fact they were thankfully too cautious to bring up in class.

"Now, an important talent for any witch to develop is the ability to write her own incantations and improve on existing ones." She said, trying desperately to ignore Leila's incessant tapping on the desk. "Your first assignment for this year will be to alter an existing chant. Since I know how cut-throat this challenge tends to be, let me lay down a few ground rules. Rule one, you may not cause injury to another student or faculty member, be they from this fine establishment or another academy. Anyone who harms another student as a result of their incantation will receive an F." She glared straight at the Black Heart girls, knowing they'd be the first to attempt to break that rule. "Rule two, and this was an issue last year, no necromancy! That art is strictly forbidden, as you all should know. Anyone caught using a necromancer's chant will be turned over to the Headmistress for academic probation and possible expulsion."

"You're taking all the fun out of this." A student with long chestnut curls and turquoise eyes pouted.

"Good. I'm here to make you work." Ryder smirked. "You should know that by now, Malvina."

"Excuse me!" Electra raised her hand. "I have a question."

The magenta-headed woman pinched the bridge of her nose. Whatever this was, it wasn't going to be nice. "Yes, Miss Novak."

"How would one go about writing a mind control spell?" The lavender-haired lightning witch asked as innocently as she could.

Ryder's eyes flashed a menacing violet before she answered the question. "And this brings us to rule number three: No mind control spells."

"But why?" Electra tried again. "Wouldn't it make our lives much easier?"

"It goes against school policy," The older witch stated solemnly, "not to mention its side-effects."

"What about an attraction charm?" Leila asked, only to have her eldest cousin turn her cold golden gaze upon her.

"There will be no mind or emotion/attraction altering spells in this classroom or this school!" She stated firmly. "And the next one of you that brings it up will become the test subject for Professor Cadwallader's new amnesia potion!" Needless to say, no one voiced any more complaints that class period.

Next class, however…

"Okay, I think it's time we lay down some ground rules for this class." She said as soon as everyone was seated. After her interaction with her nosy relatives and a bored princess, she felt it completely necessary to lay down a few laws. "First rule: we will not be covering mind control spells, hallucinogens, or spells to make other people ill this semester. Anyone who persists in asking me about these spells will earn the wonderful job of being Professor Cadwallader's lab rat for a week."

"Is that even legal?" Miranda whispered to Fiona, who shrugged helplessly.

"I have no idea." The green-eyed Nature witch murmured back.

"She wouldn't do it anyway." Raven snorted, earning a glare from her older half-sibling.

"Time to move on to our second rule: No necromancy. For those of you who have not taken, or flunked word origins studies, that means no re-animating dead people or talking to spirits of the recently deceased." Ryder looked over the class. Up until last year, that rule hadn't been in play, but after one of the girls in Amethyst's graduating class decided to resurrect a past headmaster (who then proceeded to start attacking students he felt were 'impure' witches and wizards) it was decided that no one else be allowed to attempt anything similar. "I realize this is way over your magical heads right now, but know this: anyone caught using forbidden magik to revive or speak to the dead will be put on academic probation and sent to the Headmistress for an expulsion hearing." Murmured gasps echoed through the room of freshmen. Since most of them had just started school, no-one wanted to hear about getting expelled!

"Then what can we do?" a boy with bright orange hair asked shyly. Ryder smiled down on him.

"Pretty much anything else you want to, so long as you keep to the parameters of your assignments and no-one gets hurt."

"Translation: Boring stuff." Raven smirked.

An evil smirk grew on Ryder's face. "Since you're so eager to get to your homework, Raven, I'll give you an extra in-class assignment."

"The hell?" Raven sputtered.

"And the highest grade you can get on it now is a 90." Ryder replied calmly. "Rein your tongue. Now, would you please come up to the front of the classroom?"

Muttering several obscenities under her breath, the violet-eyed witch stood up and trudged all the way up to the teacher's desk. She turned to face the class, arms folded over her chest and a scowl firmly planted on her face.

"Now, as you will all learn this year, learning the basics of properly reading, analyzing, and constructing an incantation are crucial to your magical training here at Cloud Tower." Ryder stated, leaning casually against her desk. "Since Miss Iacono is a Music witch, she should understand some of the basic components of an incantation."

Raven's eyebrows shot up into her bangs. Was her sister really devious enough to make her recite and explain the essential parts of an incantation/poem? Apparently so.

"Raven, please explain the significance of meter and foot to an incantation."

Sigh. "Meter is the fancy term for the structure of a line of incantation, and is measured by how many syllables there are in the line and which ones are stressed." She paused to glare at her sister. "Most lines have a predictable pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. The specific pattern that repeats throughout is called the foot. The most common type used in both poetry and spell casting is the Iambic pentameter, or the Iamb foot repeated five times."

"Very well done." Ryder praised. "You may return to your seat now." The younger Iacono sister returned, muttering insults and stomping her feet, to her desk while her suitemates shook their head.

"Didn't we warn you to behave?" Fiona asked, inspecting her fingernails.

"Shut up." Raven glared.

"I do believe she's trying to give us all a harder midterm." Jason observed.

"No, Jason, she's just trying to give herself a harder one." Ryder stated, regaining the class's attention. "Now, would everyone open their textbooks to page 6…"

* * *

After classes ended and the students dispersed to do their homework or find ways to avoid it, Ryder was once again on her way to the staff room, this time to pick up her grade book from Headmistress Arianrhod. When she entered, she found the lime-haired witch talking to a man she didn't recognize. He had short dark hair, deep blue eyes, and an aura that spoke of dark magic. She felt a deep seated sense of annoyance as his eyes looked her over. "Um, I'm sorry to bother you and your _guest_, Headmistress." She replied. "If this is a bad time…"

"Oh no!" Arianrhod smiled. "Mr. Bloodstone was just leaving. I have your grade book right here, Ryder."

Trying her darndest to hide her shock, the red-headed teacher stepped forward to claim her book. Really. This guy was the head of discipline at Alfea? She'd expected him to be much older and more gruff-looking. "Thank you, Ma'am." She nodded to her boss. "I guess I'll be on my way."

"Would you mind if I walk with you?" Mr. Bloodstone asked, his voice sounding deep and smooth. "I'm on my way out anyway."

She bit back an annoyed groan. "Fine." She replied tersely, walking to the door. "Try to keep up." It was a fair warning…to shut up an just walk.

Unfortunately, he ignored her. After saying his goodbyes and thanks to Headmistress Arianrhod, Bloodstone kept in stride with the Dark witch and began questioning her. "You look a little young to be a teacher."

"The same could be said of you." She replied. "I wasn't aware that anyone could become head of discipline until they turned 40."

He laughed off her comment, only serving to anger her. "Let's just say that I have connections. What's your excuse?"

"Don't need one." She blinked, continuing to keep her responses short.

"What? A beautiful lady like you must have something more to say."

"You know what? I do." Ryder turned to face him. "Go away!"

He blinked. "But I thought we had a conversation?"

"No, you had a conversation. All I heard was this mysterious buzzing noise." She growled. "Now go fly on your little fairy wings back to Alfea and stay away from me!" And with that, she stormed off, her long red hair flowing behind her like a cape.

Bloodstone, meanwhile, watched her departure with interest. That woman was an enigma. He'd have to hack into the faculty database later to find out more about her. If he could just win her (temporary) affection, it would make enacting his plans that much easier.


	7. 6 Story of My Life

**A/N:**** sorry about the impromptu hiatus. One of the authors got knocked up, while the other one started college again. And while you try to figure out which one is which, here's a chapter to help you mull things over in your mullet.**

**Passing the Torch**

**6. Story of My Life**

Despite his ability to awaken with the sun in time for class, Ian O'Neill had always been a night owl. The first and second day as an assistant teacher proved that, for he stayed up until well past midnight in favor of watching a talk show and instant messaging his girlfriend. This is why, all caffeine and natural morning affinity aside, he remained a bit grouchy on this third morning of classes.

"How can anyone be that perky at this hour?" The red-headed man grumbled to some of the other instructors standing around the coffee pot as the morning newscaster prattled on over the TV.

"Don't know what to tell you about that." Professor Mendez, the man in charge of the geography class, shook his head.

"Magic perk-up spell?" Riven offered. "No, wait, that's called coffee."

"Just be sure you're awake enough to do your job, O'Neill." Professor Battaglia snorted.

"Speaking of awake, where's Regnier?" Mendez asked as more people filed into the lounge. "He's usually up early."

"Let's see…" Ian scanned the crowd "Headmaster Cordatorta, my brother, that new guy in charge of the Survival class—nope. No Regnier." He offered a half-hearted shrug, which earned a laugh from the headmaster.

"Don't worry about him!" Cordatorta chuckled. "He'll wake up in time. Always does."

No sooner had the old warrior spoken than Regnier came dashing into the room. He flitted around the breakfast tables like a hummingbird on a sugar rush, stuffing a muffin in his mouth while trying to pour himself a glass of hot tea.

"Uh, professor?" Will glanced at the teacher warily, much like the rest of the room.

"No time." The man said through a mouthful of blueberry muffin. "Late for class."

"It's only 7." Riven stated. "You have a whole half hour before classes start."

In his shock, the battle tactics teacher spilled his tea all over his shirtfront. All this while Ian watched curiously. "Aah! But my clock said 7:35…"

"Your clock must be fast." Cordatorta said.

"Like light speed fast." Ian muttered as the headmaster continued, causing Riven to nearly choke on his hot coffee.

"Take time to chew your food and collect yourself…and change that shirt. You've got all the time you should need."

* * *

Teacher's assistant literally means "grunt" or "errand boy". His duties in Professor Battaglia's class included fetching chalk, cleaning the chalkboard, and emptying the trash can after classes wrapped up for the day. Fourth period, however, brought a change in his hum-drum routine.

"Can anyone tell me what the main export of Isis is?" Ian rolled his eyes at the question. Of course Rodney would be first to answer. Isis was his home realm, so he should know all about it. Which is why it took his brain a moment to register that the blond Medici boy _hadn't_ been the first to speak up.

"Precious stones and metals are the main export of the realm of Isis." The other blond prince, Sean Del Solis of Solaria, responded with a yawn. Ian shook his head as Professor Battaglia praised him and Rodney shot the boy a stupefied glare. Since the last few lessons had been over Realms and their Key Features, all major realms would be covered. This meant more questions about Isis and invariably Solaria.

True to form, Battaglia fired off another query. "What about the government there? What is unique about it?" Ian now watched with open amusement. If Rodney wanted to regain his pride, he'd better answer first.

Apparently his pride wasn't that important to him. "It is one of the few true absolute monarchies remaining among the more "developed" realms." Sean answered in a bored tone. "Currently the realm is bound by marriage to the Kingdom of Terra in Southern Geos through the marriage of Prince Peter of Terra and Princess Diaspro of Isis."

The green-eyed assistant drew a sharp breath as Rodney turned on the death glare. Judging by the prince's expression, things were about to get ugly.

"How do you know that?" the platinum blond boy hissed.

"Puh-lease!" Sean waved. "I'm the freakin' crown prince of Solaria! I learned all about your realm both from my private tutors and my last school."

"You mean the one you got kicked out of?" Raphael Harper of Eraklyon, Sean's squire and roommate, smirked. The circumstances surrounding the Solarian boy's arrival at the school were hardly secret.

"You peasant!" The Isisian royal exclaimed at Raphael before whirling on Sean once more. "You just got lucky! I bet you don't even know those facts about your own precious realm!"

Suddenly, Ian wished he'd brought a bag of popcorn into this class with him. He needed it for this fight.

"Mr. Del Solis?" The professor asked. "How do you respond?" Ian cocked his head, trying to analyze the situation. He knew Rodney just made a huge mistake; unlike his fellow royal, Sean could spout off every impressive fact about his home world on command.

And that he did, his head held high with pride. "Solaria, once an absolute monarchy, has now moved to a constitutional monarchy, complete with a parliament that aids in the making and approving of laws. Our main exports are concentrated sunlight and solar panels, and the main industries are energy, tourism, and fashion."

The red-headed half-breed nearly choked while trying to contain his laughter. The expression on Rodney's face was priceless! The student wordlessly opened and closed his mouth as his face turned pink. The boy continued his impersonation of a goldfish a few seconds more before he finally cracked. "That's impossible! You must have cheated!"

"You're the one who asked him about his own realm, idiot." Raphael rolled his eyes as Ian now found himself torn between laughing and wincing in anticipation of Rodney's next move.

"You knave!" The offended prince roared, standing up and swinging his fist at the green-eyed sophomore from Eraklyon. Before his punch connected, though, Sean threw one of his own, knocking the other prince off his course and into the desk of a green-haired student from Polaris.

"Who died and gave you the right to hit my squire?" The Solarian spat, glaring daggers at Rodney. Enraged, the platinum blond gave a battle cry and charged Sean. The pair were about to declare an all-out war on each other (if they hadn't already) when Ian, upon Battaglia's instructions, grabbed each boy by the shoulder and forced them apart. He then stuck a hand on the chest of each prince in order to keep them separate.

"That's enough!" Battaglia boomed, staring menacingly at the two royals. "Fighting in my classroom is completely unacceptable!"

"But he…"

"No buts, Medici!" The stout man ordered, causing the boy to glance at the floor in defeat. "Both of you two have just earned yourself detention in addition to having to clean out the washrooms and empty every trashcan on campus. Am I clear?" Ian would have smiled with glee if he hadn't still been standing in between two angry and offended students. This meant he got off work early today!

"Yes, sir." Both boys muttered.

"What was that?" The professor asked, holding his right hand to his ear and leaning closer.

"Yes Sir." The two said, louder this time.

* * *

Being allowed to leave Red Fountain earlier than expected put the eldest of the O'Neill boys in a very good mood, one that he hoped to keep up through his date tonight.

Yes, Date.

Since last year, he and Amethyst Elfman had been going out on a semi-regular basis. Their relationship at the moment was best described as 'comfortable', being passed the awkward first date stage and not anywhere near asking for her hand. Besides, it would be considered very forward for him, the son of a simple nobleman, to ask anything so bold from a princess like her.

Which is why he now found himself waiting at Ell's Café for her to show up.

Soon enough she walked through the door, dressed in a sensible blue button-up shirt and a pleated blue, cream, and grey striped skirt. "Sorry to keep you waiting." She blushed, her voice sounding just a bit on the nasal side.

"Are you feeling okay, Amy?" He asked, noticing the tissues peeking out of her purse. She smiled apologetically.

"Allergies. Didn't have time to pick up my prescription today. Aachoo!" She sneezed into one of her unspent tissues, causing a few forks to momentarily rise up off the table.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He inquired again, feeling an inexplicable sense of foreboding about tonight's plans.

"I'll be fine." She waved, blowing her nose into her tissue. "So, what are you having?"

"The Wild West Burger." He said, eying her warily as she again blew her nose.

"That sounds goo—Aaachooo!" This time, the knives flew up and whacked him on the side of the head.

"Ouch!"

"Oh, Ian! I'm sorry!" She said as their server arrived with the two drinks the green-eyed man ordered prior to her arrival. He knew her well enough to know what she'd want with dinner. "I just can't seem to control it—Achoo!"

This time it was the drinks that levitated…and subsequently dumped their icy contents all over the red-haired man. "Damn it!" He stood abruptly, trying to daub water off of his pants with a table napkin. Amy gasped in horror, her eyes wide as dinner plates.

"OMiGoodness! Ian, I'm so sorry!" She blurted out. A strangled sigh escaped the Eternian's lips.

"I think dinner tonight may be a bust." He said simply. "Come on." She stood in confusion as he left their payment on the table.

"What? Where are we going?"

"We are going to the nearest 24-hour store and buying you some allergy medicine." He said, escorting her to the door. "You need it and we can't go out anywhere without it."

* * *

Thirty minutes, one irate pharmacy clerk, and a package of nasal allergy spray later, the date resumed, and the pair now strolled up the bustling sidewalks of Magix.

"I'm so sorry I ruined your plans for tonight." The violet-haired Fortune witch apologized for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Come on, Misty, get over it already." He said, running a hand through his hair as the other wrapped itself around her shoulder. "So we skipped dinner and had to settle for a couple bags of corn chips at the drug store? We didn't get kicked out, and you're doing better, so it's all good now."

The Endorian princess blushed when he used his nickname for her. Just how he'd turned her name into Misty, she didn't know, but she kinda liked it…she just wished he wouldn't use it in public. "I just…"

"Don't." He stopped, putting a finger up to her lips. "Don't you say it again. No one got hurt. Nothing to be sorry about. Stuff like this just happens."

"Be that as it may, I still don't like it." Her eyes looked down at his shoes. He cupped his hand under her chin and gently raised her head up so that their eyes met.

"You don't have to." He said softly. "But it's out of your hands now. Even the power to see visions is no match for seasonal allergies. You know that."

A soft laugh escaped her lips. "I guess I should have gotten my prescription refilled yesterday when I had the chance, huh?"

"Well, you can get it done first thing tomorrow." He smirked. "But don't beat yourself up over something you can't control. You'll only wind up hurting yourself and nothing will be accomplished."

"I won't."

"Promise?"

"Seriously? You're making me promise?"

"Yes, now do you promise?"

Sigh. "Yes, Ian, I promise not to obsess over the little things I cannot change." She stared up at him with somewhat annoyed, but still honest, blue-violet eyes.

"Good." He smiled. "Now, are you up for a late-night walk through the woods?" A smirk played on his lips as a fit of girly giggles shook his date's shoulders.

"Oh, I think that sounds just _perfect_."


	8. 7 Material Girls

**A/N: Here's a shopping-themed update to ring in the new year. Happy 2011 everyone!**

**Disclaimer: Better to be hated and despised for being yourself than adored for living a lie.**

**Passing the Torch**

**7. Material Girls**

"Twas the week of the dance and before it's too late, all the girls rush out to buy dresses for the date." Ailani said as she and her suitemates exited the shuttle bus. It was indeed the week before the inter-school dance and all the last minute shoppers were rushing to find the perfect dress. Granted, she didn't need to buy a new dress; as princess of Solaria, she had dresses pre-designed for every formal dance and ball planned this school year. "Although just why you two feel the urge to buy something off the rack is beyond me." The brown-eyed fairy tsked at Lapis and Leilani. If Twila of all people could plan ahead and bring a designer gown, surely a pair of princesses could do one better and bring a closet full of them.

"There is nothing wrong with being a little frugal with your fashion choices." Lapis held her head high. Having a mother who was raised in exile for most of her life resulted in the three princesses of Endor lacking the compulsion of other nobles and royals their age to own the most expensive gowns money could buy.

"I _still_ don't see what all of the hubbub is about." Leilani complained. She hadn't planned on going to any of the dances this year, and as such hadn't packed any dresses or fancy skirts in her luggage. However, despite her protests, Ailani and Twila had kidnapped her for the day and forced her into dress shopping with their suitemates and a handful of girls from Red Fountain. "It's a stupid social event full of people I have no interest in speaking to on a personal level."

"Yes, but as you should be well aware, it is a major tool in a royal's arsenal." The indigo-haired witch-turned-fairy pointed out. "Dances provide the opportunity to meet important people from other realms, form new trade relationships, and get down to some awesome music."

"Still, it is nice to get out of the school and have some girl time. Especially after that audition fiasco." Twila piped up. "Didn't you say your cousin was going with us today?" Lapis nodded.

"Yeah, Miri and her two suitemates. Should be interesting to say the least." The blue-haired teen said, smoothing the front of her black blouse. Despite protests from Twila and Ailani, the Dark Fire fairy refused to let some of her witchy-er habits go, namely her liking for dark-colored clothing.

"So long as that rude twin of your isn't there, I don't care who else shows up!" Ailia stuck her chin up and nose in the air. "Honestly, what is her problem? Yeah, we know she was spelled at the audition, but we also know that you and that Raven chick had nothing to do with it!"

"I think maybe grandpa Oritel dropped her on her head as a child." Lapis replied. "That or she inherited grandfather Athelstan's bossy/whiny gene. Not sure which."

"I've already picked out the dress I want to try on." Tatiana said, eyes fixed on the screen of her realmberry.

"Let me guess, you looked at the store's online registry?" Leilani asked in a bored tone.

"Don't be silly! They never have a complete database available to the public." The technology fairy snorted. "No, I hacked into their inventory list to see what they actually had in stock here in Magix."

"See? Fairy of Illegal Activities!" Lapis gestured to her roommate as two red-heads and an onyx-haired girl walked up.

"Could be worse. You could be stuck with Sean of Solaria and Rodney from Isis." Miriam waved. "Word is that they had a major fight in Professor Battaglia's class last week."

"Oh, so my brother finally found a prince as stuck up and pompous as he is?" Ailani asked. "Who won?"

"Technically neither, since they both got punished." Lucia stated. "But Sean did outsmart Rodney in the quiz-off."

"Great! Just what he needed, a boost to his already inflated ego!" The brunette princess exclaimed as the group entered the mall.

"So, where to first?" Twila asked, trying to detour the conversation to a happier topic."

"Hmm. Goth Topic." Lapis smirked, earning a repulsed shriek from Ailani.

"Eww! No! Peacock's Fashions!"

"Um. That's a bit expensive for some of us, Aili." Lori folded her arms. "Let's start off at Dresses By Debra, and go on from there."

"I like that plan." Lucia nodded.

"So do I, although I wouldn't be so opposed to hitting up Goth Topic later." Lorelei shrugged. "They have awesome t-shirts."

"Fine, after everyone else has found a dress, we can hit Goth Topic." Ailani sighed dramatically. It wasn't her idea of high fashion, but she could easily see that she and Twi were likely to be outvoted should they try to protest.

"Whatever." Leilani yawned. "Just get this over with as quickly as possible."

Dresses by Debra, owned by Popularian fashion trendsetter Debra Belluci, offered many stunningly unique gowns. Of course, the term 'stunningly unique' could mean anything from adorable to atrocious.

"Why would anyone want to wear something that looks like a giant steak?" Twila grumbled, holding the clothing article in question at arm's length.

"I certainly don't know." Ailani said, offering a similar wince upon seeing the dress. "Now, this number…" she held up a rather loudly-colored orange dress. For something 'off the rack', it was actually quite pretty.

"Makes you look like a carrot." Lapis quipped as Tatiana pulled a stunning lime green strapless dress off of one of the racks. It was made of chiffon and had large green-and-clear rhinestones in a pattern that almost looked like crawling vines reaching from the top left side of the bodice down to just below the ribcage-area. "Now _that_ says class!" The Endorian Royal approved.

"Good to know her illegal activities came to some good." Leilani rolled her eyes, gazing disinterestedly at a lime green dress on the sale rack while Tatiana prepared to go make her purchase.

"What do you girls think?" Seven heads suddenly turned toward Lucia's soft voice. The young Earthling wore an embroidered burgundy strapless corset with a matching skirt. "Is it too much red? Is it too much period?" She certainly didn't know. Clothing hadn't ever been very important to her.

Ailani clasped her hands and squealed with delight. "No! No, no, no! You _must_ keep that dress, darling! The whole red-heads-can't-wear-red myth is terribly inaccurate!"

"Your hair is dark enough to make it look pretty." Miriam said. "I'd look like a tomato or something."

"Then stay away from red and do yellow!" Twila proclaimed, shoving a buttery yellow dress into the red-headed royal's arms. Miriam failed to contain her puzzlement.

"Yellow?" She blinked as her cousin laughed.

"You never know. It might look good on you." The former witch smirked, stepping out of the changing area. She wore a gorgeous strapless dress with thousands of tiny rhinestones all over the bodice, tapering off into nothingness at her hips. Sheets of plain taffeta fabric were gathered just under her breasts to give the illusion of a sparkling heart. The only major flaw with this find was its color: black.

"Of all the bright, beautiful gowns in the shop, you had to pick a black one?" The fairy of the Sun and Moon asked in amazement.

"What? I like black." Lapis's blue eyes zeroed in on the Solarian princess. In case you hadn't noticed, my transformation outfit is also black. Besides, it has sparkles on it."

"It's still a really dark color for an Alfea student to choose _willingly_." Twila frowned. It was a very pretty dress, but it straddled the line between 'fairy' and 'witchy' a little too closely for her liking. What if those mean seniors decided to attack them for it?

"Stop picking apart my cousin's wardrobe choices." Miriam snipped at the pair of fashionista fairies. "She's a dark-fire-fairy princess and can wear whatever the hell she wants."

Lapis beamed at the blue-eyed redhead. "On that note, you, Miss Fire-Specialist-Princess, can put back the _Beauty and the Beast_ dress if you so choose."

"Thanks. I believe I will."

"Don't mention it. Besides, I'm not sure that color really brings out your eyes…"

"She's right. Go with something with a little more blue in it." Lori smirked, folding a navy satin one-shoulder dress over her arm. She had somehow managed to try on her dress and change back out of it without anyone noticing. "But not this one. This is mine. Tell you what, let's move on to another store. Your friend looks bored." She glanced pointedly over at Leilani.

"Perfect!" Twi cooed. "We can hit more stores!"

"Dragon preserve me." The mocha-skinned fluids fairy groaned.

Twenty minutes and another store later, Leisha was still bored out of her mind, although Miriam did find herself a nice baby blue halter dress. Twila, alas, seemed to have made it her personal project to find Leilani an 'appropriate' dress, and dragged the reluctant Androsian around for the rest of the afternoon.

Eventually , the group left the mall and wandered into a consignment shop exclusively for formal wear (which Ailani had no clue even existed). While Twila's short attention span got the better of her, Leilani wandered a little ways away from the group to explore on her own. The Starlight fairy was fawning over a white gown that looked suspiciously like a wedding dress, and Ailani was pin-holing Miriam and Lucia over why anyone would want to sell such beautiful dresses in the first place. She had plenty of time to wander aimlessly.

That's when she saw it.

The turquoise silk dress in question had a tight, low-cut halter top with an asymmetrical loose skirt. Simple compared to what her suitemates were drifting toward, but still, she was thoroughly in love with the dress. Something she never thought she'd find herself admitting.

"You should at least try it on." The fluids fairy nearly jumped out of her skin when Lorelei whispered in her ear. Dang, that girl had silent movement mastered!

"Do you get some kind of kick out of sneaking up on people?"

"Sometimes." The specialist said, blue eyes twinkling. "But seriously, you should at least see if it fits. You seem to like it."

"I don't do dresses."

"Neither do I, but for some reason girls aren't allowed to wear pants to the dance." The onyx-haired girl pointed out. "If it's too big, you can have one of your more fashionably-minded friends alter it for you, but you won't know until you try."

Leilani sighed in defeat. The other girl did have a point. "Fine."

"That's the spirit." Lori beamed back. "Make it quick, though. I think the blonde is about done ooh-ing and aww-ing over old wedding gowns."

"Yikes. Fate worse than death." If she were going to ask for fashion advice from one of her suitemates, it wouldn't be Twila. Ailani wasn't much better, but at least the Solarian respected (or, at the very least, acknowledged) that she preferred loose, conservative clothes that could be moved around in. "Keep her distracted while I go change."

"No problem." Lori waved. "I've known her since we were both little. Distracting her is a piece of cake!"

At the end of the outing, the gown was in her possession.


	9. 8 Neon Angels on the Road to Ruin

**After a long hiatus, this story is finally getting an update! Hope you all enjoy it. **

**Dedication: To my partner in crime, Chibi Horsewoman, for being the best sounding board I could ever ask for.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the locations presented in this work of fanfiction or the Winx Club universe. If I did, the characterization in Season 5 would be a heck of a lot better, as would the plot.  
**

**Passing the Torch**

**8. Neon Angels on the Road to Ruin**

The day before the all-important inter-school dance brought with it a lot of stress for anyone on the music docket, set-up, or take-down crews. It was mid-afternoon that Friday, and Raven, Lapis, and the young Cheeky McWinkster (Raven point-blank _refused_ to call him by his real name) were going through the sound-checking process. They would have another one tomorrow before the dance, but any rehearsal time they could get in before the dance was considered a good thing. Raven was still fuming about the duet she was forced to participate in, not that her singing partner noticed.

As one of the chaperones and a member of the set-up crew, Ryder had gotten roped into spending an afternoon putting up streamers and lights when she really would have preferred to be grading papers. While the magenta-haired witch had nothing against Alfea (her stepmother was an Alfea graduate, for crying out loud!), she did not want to spend any more time in or around the bright pink building. That, and the new head of discipline, Mr. Bloodstone, seemed set on making her life a trip through Shadowhaunt. Seriously, how did she always wind up attracting the crazy ones?

"Are you sure you don't want to reconsider my offer?" The man asked, desire shimmering in his eyes. That low, seductive tone might have worked on another witch, but Ryder didn't happen to find his blue eyes attractive enough to counterbalance his annoyingly persistent attempts to talk her into a date. He was cute; true, but not nearly enough to be considered worth giving any semblance of a relationship a chance to flourish.

"Yes, I am sure." She remarked, golden eyes focused on the streamer she was levitating and not the man standing in front of her. She was seriously considering using hypnosis on the annoying male. Sure, it was slightly illegal, but if it got him out of her hair, it would be worth it. "Go practice your so-called charms on someone a little more free-spirited. Surely there are some unfortunate student-teachers here at Alfea who are hanging on your every order."

"None of them are quite as…enchanting as you are." He smiled, the words sending up red flags in the Dark Witch's mind. 'Enchanting' was the kind of compliment that creeps and sickos used to lure unsuspecting victims into back alleys.

"I don't care how disenchanting you find them; you had best stick to courting them if you know what's good for you." If he kept being a pest, she was going to turn him into a slimy amphibian. Perhaps a Snake Rat? Those were rather nasty, befitting his personality so far as she could tell.

"Oh, but what's good for me is never any fun." A smirk crossed his features. "Come on, what's the harm in one dance?"

"My father removing your hands from your body, that's what." She remarked. Dad might not be royalty, but he was one of the best students Red Fountain ever turned out, according to Cordatorta. And he did have an overprotective streak when it came to Raven and herself. "We both know I'm not joking, either. He will probably be chaperoning this social function, since he is an instructor at Red Fountain now." Dragon, had Raven ever pitched a fit over that!

"I would never dream of angering your father." He answered smoothly. "I won't have to, if you would just say yes."

"I would sooner dye my hair blonde and dress in hot pink than say yes to you." She harrumphed. Couldn't this guy take a freaking hint and leave? "Now if you will kindly excuse me, I have decorations to place." As her eyes drifted to anywhere but where he had placed himself, she spied three young women in skimpy outfits trying to sneak over to where the gifts were being stored. "Hey! You three! Get away from there!"

A girl with midnight blue hair spun around, wide eyes meeting Ryder's narrowed ones. She knew that girl, and the two others she was running with. The other Alfea kids had taken to calling them "Witches with Wings", something the real witches found mildly offensive due to the fact that the three habitually targeted witches for bullying. She and Professor Grimm had busted the trio on numerous occasions during inter-school projects where the students from both schools were required to work together, and she'd placed more than a few calls to the headmistress when she'd found them mistreating her students in out-of-class settings. Whatever the three were doing near the gifts, it certainly wasn't for pure or noble motivations. She silently cast a listening spell, allowing her to hear what the three were saying.

"Oh crap, it's that witch lady!" Natalia of Fortuna whined, causing Ryder to smirk. She enjoyed having a reputation for not putting up with false statements from students; it made them think twice about getting on her bad side.

"Quick, let's get out of here!" Destiny, Natalia's cousin, shouted, grabbing the other two and dragging them out of range of her spell. Not that it mattered to Ryder. Now that she knew they were up to something, she would be sure to keep an eye on them herself.

* * *

Malise's idea bordered somewhere in between brilliance and stupidity, Natalia decided. Sure, putting a curse on the flower-containing gift pods destined for the witches and those with witch blood in their veins would forever place their name in the annals of this school and all pure-bred fairies in the known realms, but if they got caught, they would surely be expelled and disgraced.

"I'm not so sure about this." Destiny murmured. There were far more people milling around than the trio of senior fairies had initially planned for.

"Oh, don't be such a worry-wart." Malise chided. "We'll be in and out before anyone has time to notice us. They're all too busy with the courtyard and the stage to see what we're up to."

"Fine, but if this goes south, I'm blaming you." Natalia folded her arms across her chest.

"Shut up and move! Now's our chance!" The nature fairy hissed, urging the girls to move as quickly and quietly as they possibly could in four-inch stilettos. They didn't make it far, however, when one of the adults raised a call of alarm.

"Hey! You three! Get away from there!" Natalia looked behind her, wide silver eyes meeting the piercing yellow ones of the woman that had given them away.

"Ah, crap, it's that witch lady!" She whined.

"Quick, let's get out of here!" Destiny called out, grabbing her cousin by the arm and dragging her and Malise out through the band entrance.

"Why did it have to be her?" Malise sneered. That woman had been out to get them their entire career at Alfea. It was because of her constant vigilance that the three fairies hadn't managed to accomplish any of their "destroy the witches" ideas out at the previous school dances.

"Because she knows us better than our current head of discipline." Natalia offered once the girls were safely hidden amongst the sound equipment. "After the first two years, she had to have noticed a pattern."

"I hate being so predictable, but this really is the best time to lay a trap." The brunette ground fairy groused. "We'll be too busy to try anything at prom, what with graduation right afterward."

"We'll just have to sneak down after she leaves to do it." Destiny sighed. "She's not staying overnight."

"And dodge Professor Bloodstone; let's not forget about him." Natalia admitted. He looked like someone they could possibly persuade into letting them in or out of the dorms after hours, even if he did catch them. However, she wasn't all that willing to risk being seen by the male teacher.

"Yes, but he's new and we're not on the bad list yet. With some luck, we can beat those witches at their own game." Malise smiled, though it looked more like a sneer to the casual observer. She did so love a plan coming together.

* * *

"We're never going to get past her." Leila growled in frustration. She and her sister witches were waiting for an opportunity to get to the gift table and sabotage it. "It's like she has eyes on the back of her danged head!"

"Well, she is Aunt Darcy's daughter; wouldn't exactly surprise me if she'd found a spell to do just that." Electra shrugged. Aunt Darcy died before she was born, but from what her mother and her other aunts hand told her, Darcy had been quite the master at illusions and psionic spells. If anyone could find a spell to put eyes on the back of her head, it would be that blood-traitor Ryder.

"She knows who we are and what we want to do." Veronica frowned. "Unfortunately, she won't let us stay here overnight… we do have a track record for causing minor property damage to this campus, after all. We'll just have to sneak in early tomorrow morning."

"With any luck, she'll be too busy running off the new Alfea teacher to notice us." Electra noted. "You'd think he would just take a hint and leave by now."

"One would, but his dim-wittedness is going to be our chance to do some damage and get that pendant." Veronica reminded her curly-haired 'cousin'. The trio had stumbled on a rather intriguing spell last year in one of her mother's old tomes, a spell that would give them enough power to take over Magix on graduation day. To make it work, however, they would need three magically enchanted artifacts. The first artifact of which they had the greatest ease of access was a pendant currently around the neck of Princess Malise of Geos. The Staff of Solaria would also be easy enough to snitch, as its holder was but a freshman fairy, but the dark-haired woman doubted they would be able to take both of them in the same night. Not that she would want to; it would be entirely too suspicious that way and she could not afford to tip anyone off to her plans. No, while the fairies were trapped in the vines, she and Lex would taunt them while Leila acquired the necklace. They would take care of the Staff of Solaria once they had time to regroup and study their target more thoroughly. She still didn't know where they were going to find a third artifact strong enough to trigger the spell, but there had to be one _somewhere_ in Magix. "You both remember your jobs, don't you?"

"Throw up a shock barrier to keep the heroes busy; fry any pesky teachers trying to stop us from cursing the gifts; cause a diversion. Got it." Lex nodded, lavender curls bobbing up and down slightly.

"Steal the necklace while nobody's looking." Leila smirked, green eyes sparkling with merriment. Stealing the possessions of others was one of her favorite hobbies. She doubted that Malise would risk wearing the pendant to the dance, as it was a simple cameo on a ribbon choker. While powerful, it was utterly innocuous-looking, and when it came to dances, fairies like to throw on as much sparkly jewelry as they could get their hands on. "Am I allowed to take other stuff with me, or just the necklace?"

"Just the pendant and make sure it seems as if no one has been in that room whenever you leave." Ronnie warned. "We can't afford to tip anyone off to this plan. We need to be stealthy, something our mothers never managed to master." ~_Mother dearest, why must you have such a short temper_?~ The Ice Witch thought. The older witch's lust for power overrode her ability to strategize, leading to her humiliating defeat (well, the first one) at the hands of a freshman fairy. If she'd just listened to Aunt Darcy a little more, the Trix wouldn't have lost their Dark Queen, and Ryder might have been raised by the coven instead of that hateful music fairy.

"Why do you think they got expelled?" Lex snorted. She loved destruction and disorder as much as the next Lightning Witch, but she also planned on lasting until graduation day. As soon as they got their diplomas, the three of them would unleash the full power of the spell. If all went well, they would be able to take over the entire realm (which was all they had their hearts set on, at the moment) without anyone knowing of their plans until it was too late. Magix was the place that shunned their mothers and forced the Trix into hiding. Magix was where the new Company of Light first formed. And Magix would be the place they would claim as their own without having to steal the power core of another magical being. Seriously, that whole Dragon Fire-stealing business was more trouble than it was all worth. "Don't worry about it too much, V. We've got this part of the plan totally under control."

"You'd better hope so." The older girl glared. "If this plot fails because of your incompetence, I will find someone else to scheme with. You may be family, but you are not irreplaceable."


End file.
